That Is Not Who We Are!: Populism and Peoplehood (Castle Lecture Series) Hardcover – June 23, 2020
by Rogers M. Smith (Author)
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How can liberals offer “stories of peoplehood” that can compete with illiberal populist and nationalist stories?
Rogers Smith has long argued for the importance of “stories of peoplehood” in constituting political communities. By enabling a people to tell others and themselves who they are, such stories establish the people’s identity and values and guide its actions. They can promote national unity and unity of groups within and across nations. Smith argues that nationalist populists have done a better job than liberals in providing stories of peoplehood that advance their worldview: the nation as ethnically defined, threatened by enemies, and blameless for its troubles, which come from its victimization by malign elites and foreigners.
Liberals need to offer their own stories expressing more inclusive values. Analyzing three liberal stories of peoplehood—those of John Dewey, Barack Obama, and Abraham Lincoln—Smith argues that all have value and all are needed, though he sees Lincoln’s, based on the Declaration of Independence, as the most promising.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Rogers Smith brings decades of distinguished scholarship to bear on competing narratives of national identity, around the world and in the United States. In That Is Not Who We Are!, he offers a hopeful message: we need not choose between inclusive and emotionally resonant accounts of who we are."—William A. Galston, author of Anti-Pluralism
“A beautiful work of civic scholarship. Staring down the resurgence of reactionary populism, Rogers Smith offers a transformative, egalitarian story of U.S. peoplehood—one inviting us to become a better version of ourselves.”—Jack Turner, author of Awakening to Race: Individualism and Social Consciousness in America
About the Author
Rogers M. Smith is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as president of the American Political Science Association in 2018–2019.
Product details
Publisher : Yale University Press (June 23, 2020)
Language : English
Hardcover : 176 pages
Top reviews
Top review from the United States
AmericanDreamer
5.0 out of 5 stars Short, timely, provocative contribution on a matter of high importanceReviewed in the United States on June 24, 2021
The subject of the book--who are we as a U.S. people and who do we want to be?--is of high importance for our country, always so and perhaps more obviously now than is usually the case.
Author Smith is measured and thoughtful. He invites the reader to think while offering his own views and providing his reasons for them. He knows not everyone will agree with his analysis or suggestions. His purpose is to stimulate potentially fruitful discussion among concerned citizens about what he sees as a central issue of our times, the always contested matter of what predominant national identity(ies) we will choose for ourselves among different possibilities. A short, excellent and timely contribution.
HelpfulReport
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Rogers Smith brings decades of distinguished scholarship to bear on competing narratives of national identity, around the world and in the United States. In That Is Not Who We Are!, he offers a hopeful message: we need not choose between inclusive and emotionally resonant accounts of who we are."—William A. Galston, author of Anti-Pluralism
“A beautiful work of civic scholarship. Staring down the resurgence of reactionary populism, Rogers Smith offers a transformative, egalitarian story of U.S. peoplehood—one inviting us to become a better version of ourselves.”—Jack Turner, author of Awakening to Race: Individualism and Social Consciousness in America
About the Author
Rogers M. Smith is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as president of the American Political Science Association in 2018–2019.
Product details
Publisher : Yale University Press (June 23, 2020)
Language : English
Hardcover : 176 pages
Top reviews
Top review from the United States
AmericanDreamer
5.0 out of 5 stars Short, timely, provocative contribution on a matter of high importanceReviewed in the United States on June 24, 2021
The subject of the book--who are we as a U.S. people and who do we want to be?--is of high importance for our country, always so and perhaps more obviously now than is usually the case.
Author Smith is measured and thoughtful. He invites the reader to think while offering his own views and providing his reasons for them. He knows not everyone will agree with his analysis or suggestions. His purpose is to stimulate potentially fruitful discussion among concerned citizens about what he sees as a central issue of our times, the always contested matter of what predominant national identity(ies) we will choose for ourselves among different possibilities. A short, excellent and timely contribution.
HelpfulReport
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